KY Senate President: Women Have Only Two Options, ‘To Conceive Or Not’ (TWEET)

The South was a killing field for the Democrats in 2016, but particularly so in Kentucky. The Republicans rode the wave of Donald Trump easily carrying the state to win complete control of state government for the first time since 1921. They not only increased their supermajority in the state senate, but also flipped the state house from a narrow Democratic majority to a Republican supermajority. With tea-swilling Matt Bevin in the governor’s mansion, the question was not when the wingnuttery would start churning out of this legislature, but when.

Well, we didn’t have to wait long. When the Republican-dominated General Assembly convened earlier this week, one of the first orders of business was a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks. As far as the president of the state senate is concerned, this bill will send a message to women in the Bluegrass State–you have a choice whether to have a baby, so you have to live with it.

The bill, Senate Bill 5, sailed through at a breakneck pace; it was introduced on Tuesday, had two readings, and passed 30-6 on Thursday. It is expected to pass the state house almost as easily.

State senate president Robert Stivers told the Lexington Herald Leader that it’s no accident this bill is moving so quickly.

“This is my belief: there are two viable beings involved. One had a choice early on to make a decision to conceive or not. Once conception starts, another life is involved, and the legislature has the ability to determine how that life proceeds.”

The bill does include exceptions for rape, incest, and danger to the mother’s life. However, Stivers inadvertently revealed that deep down, he’d just as soon not have those exceptions in the bill at all. In so doing, Stivers said what a lot of forced-birthers say in unguarded moments.

A number of abortion opponents are on record as saying that they want to close off abortion as an option even for victims of sexual assault. Marjorie Dannenfelser of the Susan B. Anthony List, for instance, thinks such exceptions are merely “a political judgment” that–at least for now–is necessary to get abortion restrictions passed. As far as she’s concerned, allowing a sexual assault victim to get an abortion is “utterly inconsistent with the pro-life position.” Likewise, Mike Huckabee declared during the campaign that if he had any say in the matter, sexual assault victims wouldn’t be allowed to get an abortion–not even if they were children.

Stivers’ sentiments are no different. He actually said with a straight face that when a woman conceives, she makes a choice to do so. So rape victims make a choice, Robert? Or victims of incest?

When Stephen King saw this, he wondered–loudly–where Stivers’ priorities were.

This sort of talk is what knocked the scales off my eyes about this movement. Many of you know that I was weakly pro-life for a time, until it became increasingly apparent that the movement had nothing to do with the sanctity of life and everything to do with eroding our privacy through the back door. For a time, I said that I didn’t leave the pro-life movement, but the pro-life movement left me. However, even before the fundies tried to convince us that we had to ignore Trump’s outrages on the trail because he was willing to defend life, I wasn’t sure if I ever was part of it.

Now, after this pigweed from Stivers, I no longer have any doubt–I never was part of the pro-life movement at all. After all, I believe that women are still worthy of dignity and respect. Stivers and his ilk only see them as incubators with legs.

(featured image courtesy Stivers’ Twitter)

Darrell is a 30-something graduate of the University of North Carolina who considers himself a journalist of the old school. An attempt to turn him into a member of the religious right in college only succeeded in turning him into the religious right's worst nightmare--a charismatic Christian who is an unapologetic liberal. His desire to stand up for those who have been scared into silence only increased when he survived an abusive three-year marriage. You may know him on Daily Kos as Christian Dem in NC. Follow him on Twitter @DarrellLucus or connect with him on Facebook. Click here to buy Darrell a Mello Yello.